Aerosol dispenser with heating device



June 28, 1966 RElCH gTAL 3,258,171

AEROSOL DISPENSER WITH HEATING DEVICE Filed April 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS IRVING REICH J HN E.AYRES AGENT June 28, 1966 l. REICH ETAL 3,258,171

AEROSOL DISPENSER WITH HEATING D Filed April 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,248,171 AEROSOL DISPENSER WITH HEATING DEVICE Irving Reich, Princeton, and John E. Ayres, Mountainside, N.J., assignors to Carter-Wallace, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 358,992 6 Claims. (Cl. 222146) The present invention relates in general to devices for preparing and dispensing aerosol lathers in heated condition. More particularly, this invention relates to improved devices which are capable of heating such lathers with high efficiency.

In recent years, pressurized aerosol products, such as shaving cream lathers, shampoo lathers, and the like, have been gaining widespread recognition. :More recently, a number of devices which permit the dispensing of such products in a heated condition have been described.

The advantages which can be derived by the use of such latter devices are especially obvious when such devices are used in conjunction with aerosol shaving lathers; therefore, the present invention will be described with particular reference to containers for preparing and dispensin-g aerosol shaving lathers, but it should be evident from the following description that the devices of the present invention are suitable for use in conjunction with a number of aerosol products, such as lather shampoos, and the like.

Aerosol shaving lathers are usually produced from liquid compositions comprising a mixture of an aqueous soap or detergent solution and a liquefied normally gaseous propellant. Such compositions, when released from a valve-controlled aerosol type container yield a stable lather which can be applied directly to the skin of the user prior to shaving. Due to the expansion and evaporation of the liquefied propellant upon extrusion, the temperat-ure of such lather is usually below room temperature and the body temperature of the user. The application of such c-ool lather to the body of the user is not entirely pleasant. Furthermore, the softening effect of such lather on the beard or hair of the user is reduced by the lower temperature thereof.

The desirability of providing a heated aerosol shaving lather has been recently recognized and a number of devices have been proposed in the art to perform such function. Such prior devices, however, have been generally inefficient and cumbersome and have failed to provide a simple, practical and economical way to solve the proposed problem.

Some of the proposed devices utilize electrical means for heating a long tube through which the lather product passes after release from the aerosol container. Such use of electrical means introduces the hazards of fires and the inconvenience of electric cords.

Other similar devices which have been proposed utilize a heating jacket around a lather discharge tube, said heating jacket being connected to a hot water tap and being supplied with a continuous flow of hot water therefrom.

I Due to the low heat transfer coeflicients inherent to such lather-s, such devices are ineffective in raising the product to temperatures substantially close to the hot water tap temperature unless a lather discharge tube of substantial length is used. The use of such long tubes results in a breakdown of the lather due to the considerable flow resistance offered by such tubes and to the long residence time. Furthermore, a substantial volume of lather is left within the tube after the user discontinues operation of the device. This residual lather, in a compressed state due to the high flow resistance of the heating device, will expand and ooze out of the tube outlet causing copious and prolonged afterfiow.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol foams. It is a further object of the invent-ion to provide an improved device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol shaving lathers, said device eliminating one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art. These and other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the instant specification.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention relates to a device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol foams from an aerosol-type container provided with an outlet member and containing therein a mixture of an aqueous soap solution and a liquefied normally-gaseous propellant, said device comprising:

(a) A first chamber having an inlet member interconnected with the outlet member of said container;

(b) A second chamber removed from said first chamber and having an outlet member for dispensing the contents therefrom; and

(c) A plurality of heat-conductive members having passageways extending therethrough and interconnecting said first chamber with said second chamber.

In operation, when the lather is extruded from the aerosol container, the lather enters the first chamber and then divides and flows through the passageways of the heat-conductive members, which members have been preheated as hereinafter described. The plurality of streams of hot lather then flow into the second chamber, where they recombine, and thence emerge from the outlet member as a single stream in a heated state.

The objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description of a preferred device of the invention, selected for the purpose of illustration and not of limitation, and shown in the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred device, partly in longitudinal section.

FIG. 1A is a sectional view taken along the line 1A-1A of FIG. 1.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, FIG. 1 shows a preferred form of a heating device of the invention removably mounted on a standard aerosol container of a type commercially used by some manufacturers of aerosol products. It is comprised of can 10 having a suitably attached bottom, not shown in the drawing, and lid 11. Lid 11 is provided with a container outlet member consisting of a central opening for discharge of product, said opening being provided with manuallyoperated valve means.

The valve means includes a diaphragm 12, preferably made of rubber or other resilient material, which is mounted between the lid 11 and the conventional dip tube 13. The diaphragm 12 includes a plurality of openings 14 which are normally closed by the centrally located depending tubular portion 15 of the lid 11. For normal usage, such aerosol containers are provided with a valve actuator assembly, not shown in the drawing, which consists of a valve button, a dispensing spout and a tubular valve actuator in actuating relationship with said button. Customarily, the user manually depresses the valve button, bringing the tubular valve actuator in actuating contact with the diaphragm 12. When the diaphragm is thus depressed, the openings 14 are no longer obstructed by the tubular portion 15 and the pressurized product is discharged from the can 10 through the dispensing spout of said valve actuator assembly. In the practice of the present embodiment of the invention, the valve actuator assembly, which is customarily mounted with a friction fit coaxially with the opening in lid 11, is removed prior to mounting the heating device of the invention on the aerosol container.

The valve construction described above is conventional and it will be understood, of course, that other and different forms of valve mechanisms may be employed with the present invention.

The illustrated heating device includes a body 16 capacitated to hold a supply of hot water and having the general configuration of a cup with an open top. It is made of common plastic material having the properties of stiffness, lightness and low rate of heat conduction, such as linear polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and the like.

The bottom of cup 16 is fashioned with a configuration generally complementary to the top of the aerosol package and includes a peripheral annular flange 17 to loosely engage the upper rim 19 of the package, thus stabilizing the heating device upon mounting on the aerosol package.

Extending downwardly from cup 16 is centrally located tubular valve actuator 20 having an internal passageway 21' extending therethrough.

When the heating device is mounted on the package, the tubular actuator 20 is slidably engaged in the tubular opening defined by the depending tubular portion of the lid 11. The lower end of the actuator, provided with a diametrically disposed slot 22, is in abutting relationship with diaphragm 12.

Mounted within cup 16 and substantially removed from each other are foam dispersing means 23 and foam combining means 24. Said foam combining means, as best shown in FIG. 1A, comprises two substantially circular parallel plates 25 and 26 having a plurality of flanges 27 extending radially therefrom having substantially similar circular depressions on corresponding sides thereof. When said circular parallel plates 25 and 26 are sealed together by conventional means, they define a substantially circular foam combining chamber 28.

Foam dispersing means 23 comprises foam dispersing chamber 29 and has substantially the same mechanical configuration as foam combining means 24 described hereinbefore.

Foam dispersing means 23 is horizontally mounted within body 16 in contact with or in close proximity to the bottom thereof and in sealing engagement with the upper end of valve actuator 20. Internal passageway 21 of valve actuator 20 is interconnected with the interior of foam dispersing chamber 29 at a substantially central position.

Foam combining means 24 is horizontally mounted within the interior of body 16 at a point substantially removed from foam dispersing means 23 and substantially parallel thereto. Flanges 27 of foam combining means 24 rest on annular ridge 30 which extends from the interior side wall of body 16.

Mounted between foam dispersing means 23 and foam combining means 24 are a plurality of heat-conductive members 31 having passageways 32 extending therethrough interconnecting the interiors of foam dispersing chamber 29 and foam combining chamber 28. The heatconductive members are preferably metallic tubes having annular cross-sections. However, such heat-conductive members may be made from nonmetallic materials and have various cross-sectional shapes without departing from the scope of the invention.

A product discharge assembly is sealingly mounted on foam combining means 24. Such assembly comprises an actuating button 33, a depending tubular portion 34 and a foam discharge spout 35. An internal passageway 36 extending through tubular portion 34 and spout 35 connects the interior of foam combining chamber 28 with the atmosphere.

The illustrated heating device also comprises anannular top portion 37 which is fitted to the top of body 16 and which rests on foam combining means 24.

In operating this preferred form of the invention, the user places the can with the attached heating device under a hot water faucet and fills the body 16 with a supply of hot water. The hot water enters the body 16 by flowing past foam combining means 24 through the openings defined by flanges 27 and submerges heat conductive members 31, heating the walls of said heat conductive members to substantially the temperature of the water itself. It is to be noted that at this point the entire heating unit merely rests on the top of the aerosol package and that the openings 14 of diaphragm 12, shown open in the drawings, are in a normal closed position. The user then removes the can from the faucet and presses actuating button 33, thus depressing the entire heating unit, including valve actuator 20, downwardly as shown in FIG. 1. The propellant within the aerosol package propels the product through dip tube 13, through openings 14 of diaphragm 12, and into first or foam dispersing chamber 29 through the chamber inlet member which consists of passageway 21in valve actuator 20.

As it enters the chamber, the foam is dispersed into eight separate streams which flow in parallel through passageways 32 in heat conductive relationship with the inside walls of heat conductive members 31. The heated product then enters foam combining chamber 28, where the eight streams recombine and finally emerge from said second or foam combining chamber 28 through the chamber outlet member consisting of passageway 36 in depending tubular portion 34 and spout 35.

Once the user obtains the desired amount of heated product, he stops exerting pressure on the heating unit through actuating button 33. Diaphragm 12, due to its resiliency, returns to its normal closed position by displacing valve actuator 20, and thus the entire heating unit, upwardly.

It will appear evident to one skilled in the art that the devices of the present invention eliminate many of the disadvantages ofiered by prior art devices. For example, the use of multiple heat conductive members reduces the pressure of the lather during heating. This in turn substantially reduces the mechanical breakdown due to flow resistance offered by the heat conductive members. In addition, the present invention permits the use of heat conductive members having a relatively small cross-section, thus facilitating heat transfer and permitting the product to be heated to a temperature close to the hot water temperature. Since such efi'iciencies can be achieved with relatively short residence times, thermal breakdown of the product is also substantially eliminated.

In practicing the invention, it has been found that the heating effioiency of the apparatus depends on the lather flow rate and on the number and dimensions of the heat conductive members. In addition, the total volume inside the heating unit, and hence the amount of lather wasted each time the heater is used, should be as small as feasibly possible.

It has been found that satisfactory results can be obtained by using as few as thre heat-conductive tubes having an internal diameter of from about 0.02 to about 0.3 inch and lengths of from about 0.5 to about 8 inches, said variables being selected as to provide a total heat transfer area of at least 4 square inches. It has further been found that, in order to reduce lather waste and afterflow, the total volume content of the entir heating unit should not exceed one cubic inch.

In :the preferred embodiments of the invention, at least 8 heat conductive tubes having an internal diameter of about 0.05 to about 0.2 inch and a length of from about 1 to about 4 inches are used, the number and dimensions of said tubes being selected as to provide a heat transfer area of at least 6 square inches but, at the same time, maintain the total volume content of the entire heating unit at 0.5 cubic inches or less. Heating devices utilizing tubes having dimensions falling Within the above preferred ranges are found to yield optimum heating efficiencies at lather flow rates of about 8 cc. per second or lower.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing description and that changes and additions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the novel devices of the invention can be permanently mounted on the aerosol package by the manufacturer. In addition, the heat conductive members of the novel devices can be constructed of a heavy gage material or provided with heating fins. This construction would eliminate the need for the water-holding cup and permit the members to be preheated by merely holding the device under a hot running faucet.

What we claim is:

1. A device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol -foams from an aersol-type container provided with an outlet member and containing therein a mixture of an aqueous soap solution and a liquefied normally-gaseous propellant, said device comprising:

(a) a first chamber having an inlet member interconnected with the outlet member of said container;

(b) a second chamber substantially removed from said first chamber and having an outlet member for dispensing the contents therefrom; and

(c) a plurality of heat-conductive members having passageways extending therethrough and interconnecting said first chamber with said second chamber.

2. A device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol foams from an aerosol-type container provided with an outlet member and containing therein a mixture of an aqueous soap solution and a liquefied normally-gaseous propellant, said device comprising:

(a) a first chamber having an inlet member interconnected with the outlet member of said container;

(b) a second chamber substantially removed from said first chamber and having an outlet member for dispensing the contents therefrom;

(c) at least three heat-conductive tubes having passageways extending therethrough and interconnecting said first chamber with said second chamber; and

(d) a body capacitated to hold a supply of hot water in heat-exchange relation with said heat-conductive tubes.

3. A device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol foams from an aerosol-type container provided with vided with an outlet member and containing therein a mixture of an aqueous soap solution and a liquefied normally-gaseous propellant, said device having a total volume content up to one cubic inch and comprising:

(a) an open ended hollow body capacitated to hold a supply of hot water;

(b) a first chamber mounted within said body and having an inlet member interconnected with the outlet member of said container;

(0) a second chamber mounted within said body and having an outlet member for dispensing the contents therefrom; and

(d) at least 3 heat-conductive tubes mounted within said body and having passageways extending therethrough interconnecting said first chamber with said second chamber.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the tubes have an internal diameter of from about 0.02 to about 0.3 inch and a length of from about 0.5 to about 8 inches, and wherein said tubes have a total heat transfer area of at least 4 square inches.

5. A device for preparing and dispensing heated aerosol foams from an aerosol-type container provided with an outlet member and containing therein a mixture of an aqueous soap solution and a liquefied normally-gaseous propellant, said device having a total volume content up to 0.5 cubic inch and comprising:

(a) an open ended hollow body capacitated to hold a supply of hot water;

(b) a first chamber mounted within said body and having an inlet member interconnected with the outlet member of said container;

(0) a second chamber mounted within said body and having an outlet member for dispensing the contents therefrom; and

(d) at least 8 heat-conductive tubes having an internal diameter of from about 0.05 to about 0.2 inch and a length of from about 1 to about 4 inches, said tubes being mounted within said body and having passageways extending therethrough interconnecting said first chamber with said second chamber.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the heat-conductive tubes have a total heat transfer area of at least 6 square inches.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1959 Lannert 2l92l4 10/1959 Scanlon.

ROBERT B. REEVES, LOUIS J. DEMBO, F. R.

HANDREN, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A DEVICE FOR PREPARING AND DISPENSING HEATED AEROSOL FOAMS FROM AN AERSOL-TYPE CONTAINER PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET MEMBER AND CONTAINING THEREIN A MIXTURE OF AN AQUEOUS SOAP SOLUTION AND A LIQUEFIED NORMALLY-GASEOUS PROPELLANT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET MEMBER INTERCONNECTED WITH THE OUTLET MEMBER OF SAID CONTAINER; (B) A SECOND CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVED FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER AND HAVING AN OUTLET MEMBER FOR DISPENSING THE CONTENTS THEREFROM; AND (C) A PLURALITY OF HEAT-CONDUCTIVE MEMBERS HAVING PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST CHAMBER WITH SAID SECOND CHAMBER. 